Payment systems using commercial bank checks (“checks”) to transfer money are common particularly in Europe and North America. Payments and transfers of many kinds are accomplished by accepting checks, and these checks are typically brought to a financial institution such as a bank for deposit in a bank account or for check cashing.
Numerous checks must therefore be processed in a short time at teller windows in every bank branch. The main tasks performed at the teller window involve a bank clerk verifying the check, confirming the date, and verifying the signature, and then depositing the funds or cashing the check. The received check is also endorsed and a receipt is issued as needed.
Some banks have started to electromagnetically read checks brought to the bank, and efforts to improve check processing efficiency in the future by connecting bank branches and different banks on-line are underway.
To this end, check processing machines having a magnetic ink character reader (MICR) for reading information written in magnetic ink on each check and an image scanner for capturing an image of each check are installed in many bank branches today. These processing machines are large-scale systems used for processing large volumes of checks at high speed, and cannot be located at the teller window. A large space used just for check processing must therefore normally be set aside in the bank, and all checks are processed there. After the checks are processed, checks collected from each branch are delivered by armored car, for example, to a specified central clearing house.
Electromagnetically reading checks at the teller window is also being tried, and small check processing devices that can be installed at the teller window have been proposed.
The check processing device referred to above has a check transportation mechanism, a magnetic ink character reader (MICR), scanner, and printer disposed along a check transportation path.
When the bank teller receiving a check from a customer passes the check through this check processing device, the check processing device reads the check using the MICR and scanner, and then endorses the check using the printer. This check processing device is taught in Japanese Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2000-344428.